Del. Curtis S. Anderson announced to the press last week that he planned to step down as chairman of the Baltimore city delegation to the Maryland House of Delegates, saying that 12 years was enough for him in the job.

But at the all-Democratic delegation meeting Friday, Anderson’s best laid exercise in democracy went awry. And then things got even worse, as he waded neck-deep into a parliamentary quagmire during a tense session punctuated by long, painful silences and bucketsful of awkward inaction.

For reasons that remain fuzzy, Anderson wanted to quit his chairmanship early, before the September date for the election of new officers in the delegation’s by-laws. The plan supposedly was for him to anoint Del. Cheryl D. Glenn, the outgoing chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus, to take his place — without elevating the vice chairman, Del. Keith E. Haynes, and perhaps even to bounce him from the No. 2 spot.

A simple enough plan on the surface, but it seemed to be all over before it started, as different factions within the delegation – some with obvious agendas, others not so much – worked their devilment and intrigue.

In the end, however, it was probably the delegation’s own bylaws as much as anything that torpedoed Anderson.

On Friday morning, after discussing last-minute decisions on pending bills and other vital matters, the delegation turned its attention to the final item on the published agenda – Election of New Baltimore City Delegation Officers.

Washington earlier this year split with Anderson and other colleagues in Northeast Baltimore’s 43rd District when she undertook a bid for the Maryland Senate, an effort to unseat incumbent Sen. Joan Carter Conway, on whose ticket she has run in the past.

“I have a point of order,” Washington said. “Why are we having an election? And I don’t recall a notice two weeks ago, as required in our bylaws, and I haven’t heard a motion.”

There was considerable back and forth involving Washington, Ali and Anderson, points of order raised, irregularities cited, discussion of the delegation’s bylaws, of when and how, and most of all, an endless search for “clarity” and “transparency.”

Eventually, Ali made a motion, of sorts, to hold the election.

The often-reserved Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg, another representative of West Baltimore’s 41st District, then stepped up with a question to the committee counsel.

“What is the process under our bylaws to hold an election at a time earlier than the beginning of a four-year term?” Rosenberg asked.

The committee lawyer explained that the delegation would need to suspend the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote. As there are 16 members of the delegation, a two-thirds vote would be 11 members of the delegation.

Silence.

Anderson turned to Ali.

“Would you repeat your motion, please?” he said.

But before Ali could, Washington asked the counsel what motion was before them.

“The motion would be to suspend the bylaws for the purposes of holding the election,” the counsel explained to Washington.

Then, continuing her clarity-seeking mission, she launched into reasons for her opposition and why suspending the rules would be “highly irregular.”

Key to the argument by Washington, a self-identified “parliamentarian,” was this: “If the chair was resigning today, there is a process for replacing that: We have a vice chair.”

And therein lay the rub.

In an effort to move the flailing process along, Anderson ignored the persistent quest for clarity and asked, “Any further discussion?”

After a beat, “Roll call,” he said.

The committee counsel began.

“Delegate Ali?” Pass.

Undeterred, down the list he continued: Aye. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. No.

“Delegate Haynes?”

“Present,” Haynes said.

Silence. Then sporadic chuckles.

“What are we voting?” asked Haynes, the delegation’s vice chairman, a lawyer who represents West Baltimore’s District 44A.

“Voting either for or against suspending the rules,” the committee counsel replied.

Silence.

“You’ve got 30 seconds,” Anderson said.

Again, silence.

Finally, Haynes said, “I’m very contemplative about the direction the vote has taken.”

Silence.

“Point of information,” Haynes said. “If the motion fails, uh, when would the body have an opportunity to revisit or visit this on regular order, under the bylaws?”

The delegation counsel stepped in: “Under the bylaws, the election would be held during the month in September, but not before the Thursday after the first Monday in September at a central location in Baltimore city selected by the current chairman. There’d be written notification announcing the meeting date of the election.”

Haynes considered this.

“And, currently we have, I think I missed a part, but I think Delegate Ali was asking whether there is a vacancy at this point or not, is that, is that correct?” he asked.

Yes.

“And my understanding is that there isn’t a vacancy.”

That’s correct.

“So, we’re suspending the rules to have an election out of regular order when there’s no vacancy? Is that, is that my understanding?”

Bill Zorzi was a Baltimore Sun reporter and editor for nearly 20 years, focusing on government and politics. An Annapolis bureau veteran, he wrote a weekly column, “The Political Game” for the paper.Zorzi and another former Sun reporter, David Simon, are longtime collaborators on acclaimed television projects, including the HBO series, “The Wire,” and the HBO miniseries “Show Me a Hero,” which dealt with an explosive housing desegregation case in Yonkers, NY.